NC warden suspended amid alleged hot sauce abuse

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The warden at a North Carolina prison where inmates said they were forced to rub hot sauce on their genitals has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation.

Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker said Tuesday that Sampson Correctional Institution administrator Lafayette Hall has been put on paid leave while the State Bureau of Investigation investigates what happened at the Clinton facility. A second employee also has been reassigned.

Six inmates allege correctional officers forced them to perform numerous humiliating acts, including gulping hot sauce and slathering it on themselves, resulting in painful blisters. The male inmates also reported being forced to simulate sex acts for the entertainment of guards, as well as to capture and kiss wild snakes while working on a road crew.